Design a backup plan for the following scenarios. Assume that each computer has

Question

Design a backup plan for the following scenarios. Assume that each computer has a 500GB disk and that users’ home directories are stored locally. Choose a backup device that balances cost vs. support needs and explain your reasoning. List any assumptions you make.

a. A research facility has 50 machines. Each machine holds a lot of important data that changes often.

b. A small software company has 10 machines. Source code is stored on a central server that has 4TB of disk space. The source code changes throughout the day. Individual users’ home directories do not change very often. Cost is of little concern and security is of utmost importance.

c. A home network has two machines. Cost is the most important consideration, and the users are not system administrators.

d. Design a restore strategy for each of the above three situations

Explanation / Answer

1) As our systems are not very large in the given question, so we can perform all dumps, in which all of the dump files are dumped to the same backup device.

If executed correctly, backups allow an administrator to restore a filesystem (or any portion of a filesystem) to the condition it was in at the time of the last backup. Backups must be done carefully and on a strict schedule. The backup system and backup media must also be tested regularly to verify that they are working correctly.

Filesystems that are rarely modified do not need to be backed up as frequently as users’ home directories. If only a few files change on an otherwise static filesystem (such as /etc/passwd in the root filesystem), you can copy these files every day to another partition that is backed up regularly.

2) The more often backups are done, the less data is lost in a crash. However, backups use system resources and an operator’s time. You must provide adequate data integrity at a reasonable cost of time and materials.
As, we can see from our question that the systems are quite busy, therefore it is generally appropriate to backup the systems from home-directories every workday.
Most organizations keep backups off-site so that a disaster such as a fire cannot destroy both the original data and the backups. “Off-site” can be anything from a safe deposit box at a bank to the President’s or CEO’s home. Companies that specialize in the secure storage of backup media guarantee a secure and climate-controlled environment for your archives. Always make sure your off-site storage provider is reputable, bonded, and insured. There are on-line (but off-site) businesses today that specialize in safeguarding your data.
Secure your backup media. They contain all your organization’s data and can be read by anyone who has physical access to them. Not only should you keep your media off-site, but you should also keep them under lock and key. If you use a commercial storage facility for this purpose, the company you deal with should guarantee the confidentiality of the tapes in their care. Encryption of backup media is an option to consider. Many commercial backup utilities make encryption relatively painless. On the other hand, you must make sure that the encryption keys cannot be lost or destroyed and that they are available for use in an emergency.

3) 3) Dedicated file servers such as those manufactured by Network Appliance provide on-line backups with snapshots of the filesystem at regular, tunable intervals. This feature enables safe backups to be made of an active filesystem and is one of the important advantages of using a dedicated file server.
If the storage requirement is not high, then at a cost of about $0.40 each, CDs and DVDs are an attractive option for backups of small, isolated systems. CDs hold about 650MB and DVDs hold 4.7GB. Dual-layer DVDs, which are just becoming mainstream, clock in at about 8.5GB.
If the storage requirement is high, Digital Linear Tape/Super Digital Linear Tape is a mainstream backup medium. These drives are reliable, affordable, and capacious. The tape capacities vary from DLT-4 at 800GB to DLT-4 in the value line at 160GB, with transfer rates of 60 MB/s and 10 MB/s, respectively, DDS, AIT, and LTO drives are excellent solutions for small workgroups and for individual machines with a lot of storage. The startup costs are relatively modest, the media are widely available, and several manufacturers are using each standard. All of these systems are fast enough to back up beaucoup data in a finite amount of time.

4)

4) The program that extracts data from tapes written with dump is called restore. With luck, you will never have to restore an entire filesystem after a system failure.
However, the situation does occasionally arise. Before attempting to restore the filesystem, be absolutely sure that whatever problem caused the filesystem to be destroyed in the first place has been taken care of. It’s pointless to spend numerous hours spinning tapes only to lose the filesystem once again.
Here’s the algorithm for determining which dumps to restore:
•   Step 1: Restore the most recent level 0 dump.
•   Step 2: Restore the lowest-level dump made after the dump you just restored. If multiple dumps were made at that level, restore the most recent one.
•   Step 3: If that was the last dump that was ever made, you are done.
•   Step 4: Otherwise, go back to step.

Bacula is an enterprise level client/server backup solution that manages backup, recovery, and verification of files over a network. Bacula runs on a variety of UNIX and Linux systems, including all our example distributions. It also backs up data from multiple operating systems, including Microsoft Windows. The feature list below explains why Bacula is our new favorite.
•   It has a modular design.
•   It backs up UNIX, Linux, and Windows systems.
•   It supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite for its back-end database.
•   It supports an easy-to-use, menu-driven command-line console.
•   It’s available under an open source license.
•   Its backups can span multiple tape volumes.
•   Its servers can run on multiple platforms.
•   It creates SHA1 or MD5 signature files for each backed-up file.
•   It verifies backup jobs.
•   It supports tape libraries and autochangers.
•   It can execute scripts or commands before and after backup jobs.
•   It centralizes backup management for an entire network.

THANK YOU

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